Call For Proposals: CBR Assistants – for the Economy and Resilience of Newcomers (EARN) project
Posted on 08. Feb, 2012 by Jeremy.
Social Planning Toronto (SPT), in partnership with Newcomer Women’s Services Toronto (NEW) is recruiting 10 community based research (CBR) assistants for the Economy and Resilience of Newcomers (EARN) project, funded by the City of Toronto.
The goal of this project will be to examine how newcomers to Toronto who have lost paid employment during the current economic recession, have developed economic resiliency through self-employment and small business development. EARN will examine the systemic barriers and challenges immigrants engaged in self-employment are confronted with and identify the resources, community supports and strategies they have developed to mitigate these difficulties. As well, project staff will create a public education tool and provide policy recommendations on how to better support newcomers engaged in self-employment while encouraging economic development within the city of Toronto.
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February 3 – 2012 City Budget – Sum Up
Posted on 03. Feb, 2012 by Beth.
2012 City Budget – Sum Up
Toronto City Council wrapped up the 2012 City operating and capital budgets on Tuesday, January 17. Here’s my final count of what was saved and a note on what was lost.
What Was Saved
A total of $32.7079 million in services saved.
$2.8 Million in Services Saved at Budget Committee on January 9:
• 58 student nutrition programs ($0.4 million)
• Programs in 12 TDSB shared-use community centres ($2.1 million)
• Programs in 2 TDSB school pools ($0.3 million)
All funds to maintain these services are drawn from a pool of $8.8 million in unanticipated assessment growth.
$5.9119 Million in Services Saved at Executive Committee on January 12:
• Hardship Fund (see below re dollars)
• Arts community grant funding from the Community Partnership Investment Program (CPIP)($1.9 million)
• Toronto Public Library cut reduced ($3.084 million)
• Local sidewalk snow clearing ($0.9279 million)
Hardship Fund: If Province doesn’t pick up the cost from July 1 onward, the funds will come from the Toronto Employment and Social Service net budget to pay for the program.
Funds to maintain all other services are drawn from a pool of $8.8 million in unanticipated assessment growth.
$5 Million in Services Saved at Toronto Transit Commission on December 14:
• Some transit route service during peak periods ($5 million)
Funds to maintain these routes are from diesel fund savings in TTC operating budget.
$18.996 Million in Services Saved at Toronto City Council on January 17:
• School-based child care rent subsidy ($1.7173 million)
• Child care programming ($0.67 million)
• Free children and youth registered programs at the City’s 20 Priority Centres ($1.3 million)
• Ice rink time in 10 arenas ($0.26 million)
• Programs in 5 school pools ($0.6835 million)
• Social service and public health grant funding from the Community Partnership Investment Program (CPIP)($2.2953 million)
• Transit route service ($5 million)
• Three homeless shelters ($1.9719 million)
• Mechanical leaf collection services ($0.51 million)
• Health funding to Immigrant Women’s Health Centre ($0.05 million from City; results in an additional savings of $0.15 million from Provincial funding)
• Toronto Environment Office staff to implement climate change action plan ($0.323 million)
• Toronto Public Library cut reduced ($3.89 million)
• Live Green Toronto Community Animators’ program ($0.325 million; half of funding provided in 2011)
Funds to maintain these services are from the 2011 surplus except for Immigrant Women’s Health Centre (from $8.8 million in unanticipated assessment growth), Toronto Environment Office (from reserve funds), Toronto Public Library (from Tax Stabilization Fund), Live Green Toronto Community Animators’ program (from Infrastructure Partnership Reserve).
What Was Lost
The list of what was lost is a more time-consuming process to assemble. Some reductions in the budget are described as “service efficiencies” and others as “minor service impacts” or “major service impacts”. Of course, these terms can be highly debatable. Sometimes a reduction in an individual budget is due to the completion of a temporary project that no longer requires operating dollars. Wading through City documents to document what was lost is going to take a bit of time.
In the meantime, here is the short list from the Toronto Star:
• “Lay off more than 1,000 workers as a result of various cuts.
• Defer hiring of 236 police officers and 117 civilian staffers ($14.636 million)
• Defer hiring of 68 firefighters ($7.22 million)
• Defer hiring of 36 paramedics ($1.1 million)
• Close five of 106 wading pools and two of 59 outdoor pools. ($157,000)
• End Wintercity outdoor programming ($46,000)
• Reduce road cleaning (streetsweeping); local streets will see sweeping reduced to bi-monthly from monthly ($4.24 million)
• Close visitor cafeterias in long-term care homes. ($304,000)
• Reducing funding for community animators in the Toronto Environment Office. ($643,000)
• Consolidate maintenance of new trees and street trees. ($278,000)
• Stop city management of the Christmas Bureau, set up in 1956 to distribute gifts to needy children. ($151,400)
• Cut back on horticultural services: end rejuvenation of rundown flower beds, and cut back on flower and shrub planting. ($600,000)
• Eliminate four free garbage tags provided to each house for overflow garbage. Instead, residents can purchase tags at $3.10 each. ($1.29 million)”
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SPT job posting for Program Assistant Position (6 month contract)
Posted on 02. Feb, 2012 by Jeremy.
PROGRAM ASSISTANT POSITION – 6-MONTH CONTRACT POSITION (35 HOURS/WEEK)
Social Planning Toronto is looking for a full-time Program Assistant.
Over the six month period intern will spend at SPT, s/he will contribute to the ongoing research and policy work of the Council in the areas of housing, labour markets and income, and education/human development. S/he will develop and hone skills in conducting research, analyzing, synthesizing, and interpreting government policy and legislation. S/he will also be developing social reports in order to inform policy positions and strategies on major social issues affecting Toronto and its local communities. In addition, the intern will be developing skills by assisting with ongoing Council projects.
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January 19 – Budget Post-Mortem
Posted on 19. Jan, 2012 by Beth.
Community Reaction to the 2012 City Budget
Commitment 2 Community: CPIP Funding Saved in Final Budget Vote
CUPE Ontario: Budget Vote a Victory for the People of Toronto. Fight to Keep Toronto Public Continues
Toronto Arts Council: City Council Fully Restores Arts Grants for 2012!
Toronto Environmental Alliance: Victory for the Environment!
Toronto Works Better Together: 2012 City Budget Round-Up: When is a Cut Not a Cut?
Wellesley Institute: People Care About the Kind of City They Live In
Tallying Services Saved
- Budget Committee takes $2.8 million in service cuts off the table
- Executive Committee saves close to $6 million in services
- TTC reverses $5 million in service reductions on busy peak-time routes (from TTC savings)
- City Council removes almost $19 million in service cuts
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January 17 – Final Budget Vote: Council Takes $19 Million in Service Cuts Off the Table
Posted on 18. Jan, 2012 by Beth.
January 17: It was high drama at the final day of the 2012 City budget process at City Hall. City Council met to review and vote on the 2012 City operating and capital budgets. Although three days were set aside to conclude the budget process, City Council whipped through debate and completed its voting by early evening. In the end, City Council, mostly by narrow margins, voted to safeguard nearly $19 million in City services that had been slated for cuts in the staff-recommended budget, and later endorsed by the Budget and Executive Committees. With one notable exception (a move to defer contracting out of custodial City staff work), every motion to overturn service cuts passed despite opposition by the Mayor and most members of the Executive Committee. As well, the majority of Council elected to use a small portion of the 2011 budget surplus to cover the cost of many of these services, against the wishes of the Mayor.
Councillor Colle led the charge moving a motion to reverse almost $15 million in service cuts to child care, priority centres, ice rinks, pools, community grants, TTC, three homeless shelters, and mechanical leaf collection services. It was a real nail-biter with 23 votes in favour of saving these services and 21 against.
Who voted to save these City services: Councillors Augimeri, Bailao, Carroll, Cho, Colle, Davis, De Baeremaeker, Doucette, Filion, Fletcher, Fragedakis, Layton, Lee, Lindsay Luby, Matlow, McConnell, McMahon, Mihevc, Pasternak, Perks, Perruzza, Vaughan, Wong-Tam
Who voted to cut these City services: Mayor Ford, Councillors Ainslie, Berardinetti, Crawford, Crisanti, Del Grande, Di Giorgio, Ford, Grimes, Holyday, Kelly, Mammoliti, Milczyn, Minnan-Wong, Nunziata, Palacio, Parker, Robinson, Shiner, Stintz, Thompson
Councillor Moeser was unwell and could not attend the meeting.
Some additional motions passed to reverse proposed service cuts to public libraries, the Toronto Environmental Office, the Immigrant Women’s Health Centre, and the Live Green Toronto Community Animators’ program.
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